PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Freshman
Kim Hilmersson (Uppsala, Sweden) notched a career-high five points as Plymouth State University defeated the University of Southern Maine, 6-2, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's ice hockey contest on
Senior Night at Hanaway Rink on Friday evening. With the win, the Panthers clinched a first-round home playoff game in next week's LEC Tournament.
The Panthers used quick starts to each of the first two periods to set the tone. Hilmersson and junior
David Matousek (Karlovy Vary, Czechia) took turns setting each other up early in the first as PSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. The Huskies answered with two goals in a 30-second span late in the frame to head into the first intermission tied, 2-2.
Plymouth State blitzed USM early in the second period, as senior
Byron Hartley (Philadelphia, Pa.) and junior
Will Pray (Prague, Czechia) both scored in the opening 2:22 to regain control. Hilmersson's second goal of the night extended the lead to 5-2 midway through the period, and the Panthers carried the three-goal cushion into the third.
Hilmersson capped his night with a third-period assist on the final goal of the game.
PSU will be either the third or fourth seed in the LEC Tournament, pending Saturday's results. Any Plymouth State win or Southern Maine loss – regulation, overtime, or shootout – would secure the third seed for the Panthers.
Prior to the game, Plymouth State recognized the members of its senior class for their contributions to the program;
Will Redick (Collingwood, Ontario),
Brendan Doyle (Stratham, N.H.),
Rider McCallum (Langley, British Columbia),
Payton Schaly (Orillia, Ontario),
Lucas Jones (Calgary, Alberta), and
Brandon Shantz (San Antonio, Texas).
Plymouth State improves to 14-9-1 (11-5-1 LEC), while the Huskies move to 12-11-1 (10-6-1 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 6, Southern Maine 2
- Plymouth State (14-9-1, 11-5-1 LEC)
- Southern Maine (12-11-1, 10-6-1 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The Panthers struck quickly as Hilmersson found Matousek on a 2-on-1 just 43 seconds into the game.
- The duo connected again three minutes later when Matousek set up Hilmersson at the back post to double the lead at 3:59.
- Southern Maine tied the game late in the period with a pair of goals less than 30 seconds apart. USM made it 2-1 with a tip in front, then pulled even on a power-play wrister from the right circle with 4:13 remaining in the frame.
- Plymouth State regained momentum early in the second period. Hartley's shot ricocheted off the left post and in at the 1:10 mark, and Pray forced a turnover before going top shelf 72 seconds later to make it 4-2.
- Southern Maine threatened short-handed when a block led to a 1-on-0 breakaway, but Shantz smothered the attempt.
- Hilmersson extended the margin to 5-2 just over a minute later, skating through the slot and flipping a backhander into the net.
- Freshman Tucker Shedd (Holt, Mich.) capped the scoring with 5:08 remaining on a wrister from the right dot off a feed from Hilmersson.
By the Numbers:
- Hilmersson's five-point performance was PSU's first since Connor Tait recorded four goals and an assist at Framingham State on Jan. 25, 2025.
- Matousek and Hartley each finished with a goal and an assist.
- Junior Patrick O'Connell (West Chester, Pa.) collected a pair of assists.
- Matousek and junior Matt Hale (Center Harbor, N.H.) combined to win 23-of-33 faceoffs (69.7%).
- Shantz made 21 saves in the victory.
- Plymouth State held a 50-23 advantage in shots.
- The Panthers went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Southern Maine was 1-for-4.
- Southern Maine leads the all-time series, 17-10-2, though the Panthers snapped a 14-game skid in the matchup.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State hosts #11 Babson in the regular season finale on Saturday (Feb. 21) at 2 p.m.
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